Wu Tang Clan @ Northern Lights, 12/28/08

Capital Region rap fans got quite a treat Sunday night at Northern Lights — a treat, that is, if they bought their tickets in time.
The legendary New York City rap collective Wu Tang Clan was in the house in Clifton Park, performing to a fully sold-out crowd of 1,300 ardent hip-hoppers.
The predominantly white 20-something audience chanted along with favorite songs, waved hands in the air and responded to repeated requests to “make some noise!!!”
Wu Tang performances are not an everyday thing, but the group has actually tackled two tours this year in the run up to, and now following, the December 2007 release of the long-awaited album, “8 Diagrams.”
The Clifton Park show found Wu Tang members grabbing selections from across the collective’s long career — mixing eras and lineups with hard, flint-edged rap as well as more melodic pieces.
A shouted “20 years later, Wu Tang Clan, we’re here!!!” sounded as much like a challenge as a boast.
And the lineup — constantly bobbing and weaving onstage, often with the feints of martial artists — featured plenty of the group’s best known members from two decades, including RZA, GZA, Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, U-God, Masta Killa, Inspectah Deck and Cappa Donna.
RZA ratted-a-tatted the rhymes on “Careful (Click, Click).” And the entire ensemble threw down the gauntlet with “Wu Tang Clan Ain’t Nothin’ To F’Wit.”
And the group also nodded to past members, including an ode to O.D.B.
An hour after they hit the stage they were done, but all seemed pleased.
In addition to Wu Tang, concertgoers were also given a huge dose of opening acts, including a number of regional artists representing “the 518.”
Music began crack on time, and in addition to the openers, others batted some brief clean up to Wu Tang, not an enviable spot.
Among the rhymers were Berretta 9, Brooklyn Zoo, Ice Water, Sev Statik, Dezmatic, Shyste, Young Niss and Rick Whispers.
Talk about a smorgasbord. Statik and Whispers represented a sliver of Christian-based rap that still hits hard and frank. Ice Water kicked it old school. And Shyste kept busy creating his own Albany style of rap and trying to make his own legend in the process.
Beretta, on the other hand, took more time explaining himself than performing.
But Dezmatic was mightily impressive, with an almost dorky but still aggressive blast of Caucasian rap that stressed local angles.
“I write this stuff at bus shelters on Central Avenue,” he barked, before dryly stating, “let’s make some rap music.”Michael Eck is a freelance writer from Albany and a frequent contributor to the Times Union.